1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally directed to board games of a type where chance devices are utilized to select the amount of spaces games pieces are moved with respect to squares set out on a game board and wherein cards are utilized to promote advancement of the playing pieces or retard the movement of the playing pieces during the progress of the game. More specifically, the invention is a combination construction board game and advertising medium which is designed to educate players with respect to home purchasing and financing and wherein real products are displayed which must be purchased during progress of the game in order to provide amenities to the home such that the total of the amenities and bonuses provided during the game provide the basis for determining the outcome of the game.
The present invention includes a board game in which a first series of spaces are provided on the surface of the board which designate both positive and negative situations in which the player receives financing or must pay fees so that over a series of spaces income is established to purchase and then to furnish and construct a home. The game includes a first number of cards designating homes of various price ranges which a player may obtain and which require that various financing be made with respect to the home during the course of play. Each home building card also includes the provision for payments which will be received at certain points during the course of play.
In the preferred embodiment, during a player's movement through the first series of spaces not only is financing obtained for purchasing a home and to provide for its construction and furnishing but also selections may be made with respect to builders, architects, lots and siding. Each of these cards includes a base price cost and also a provision for the amount of points that the card is worth in calculating the outcome of the game. In some instances, such as with builders or architects, the back of the cards will reflect bonus situations which may effect the outcome of the game by countermanding or augmenting instructions which are received at various spaces along the game board dependent upon the value of the purchase price paid, i.e. the better the builder's qualifications the less likelihood that there would be obstacles to the successful completion of the home construction for failure to obtain necessary permits or for poor quality construction.
The game board also includes a second series of spaces over which the game pieces are moved and wherein mortgages are paid and wherein specific amenities must be purchased from a group of amenities reflected on separate amenity cards. In this respect, the game incorporates advertising of specific amenities which may be purchased, such as to complete a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom or a dining room and the like. The amenity cards will reflect actual products available on the market so that the game is made more realistic. Such cards also indicate the purchase price of the amenity and a separate point score which may utilized when calculating the final score of the game.
Once a mortgage has been fully satisfied and the necessary amenities obtained provisions are made for ending the game with the winner being determined by the player having the most total points as indicated by the value of their property and all amenities accrued during the course of play.
In addition to the first and second series of spaces provisions are made in the game for allowing a player to move from one series of spaces to another so that if a player becomes bankrupt or does not have sufficient money to continue play they may move back into the first series of spaces in order to collect further capital to continue play. As previously discussed, the game also incorporates construction problem cards associated with the completion of the home and which may penalize a player in the event that proper procedures have not been followed or adequate guidance not provided for earlier in the game by a selection of adequate builders and architects and the like.
2. History of the Related Art
Heretofore there have been numerous board games designed for allowing players to move game pieces about a playing surface which designates properties which may be purchased during the course of play with the advancement of game pieces being controlled by some selection device such as a spinner, cards or dice. In the most well-known types of board games of this type money is initially advanced from a bank to each of the players with additional monies being paid either by landing on spaces on which players are subject to payments or penalties or wherein players receive additional funds as they move to certain points with respect to the game board. The object is to acquire property in many cases for which other players must pay rent if they land on spaces owned by another player. The object of the game is to acquire monopolies and to make investments to build properties having cash value which are greater than the other players of game and to deplete the cash reserves of the other players by acquiring their assets. Unfortunately, such games do not educate an individual with respect to the details with respect to home building and home selection as well as home mortgaging and house furnishing. Also, most of the information relative to the game board is related to control cards which do no deal directly with the problems associated with home building and financing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,448,819 a game board is disclosed for purchasing a house by random selection of tokens which are positioned face down and which carry various indicia of money value. Tokens are drawn by players randomly until a given player reaches the purchase price of the house at which time the game is over. Such a game, although directed towards purchasing a particular home, does not allow a player to select a home they would wish to purchase and then make decisions with regard to financing and for furnishing the home as well as for paying off mortgages during the course of play.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,202 to Gingras a game is disclosed wherein players assemble a number of cards of different categories indicating lots, mortgage values, and house values and wherein the cards also designate game point values which are added to determine the winner of the game. Play is determined by a spinner located centrally of the game board and which directs certain actions to be taken with respect to the cards in the possession of each player.
A further type of development board game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,249 to Sneathen, Jr. In this game, players make random moves depending upon the roll of dice along paths which indicate lot developments. If a player has sufficient cash at the proper position on the board they may purchase a lot and thereafter separately develop the lot utilizing cards indicating engineering, paving, sewer and water hookups and the like. In addition, sales may be made of real estate. Other cards indicate penalties or rewards granted to the player during the course of the game.
Another real estate game apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,602 which is designed to simulate action taken by agents and purchasers relative to the sale of real estate. The game board includes a selection device and cards which grant rewards or setbacks for each player depending upon their position on the game board. The board includes an outer series of spaces which provides for the players attempting to locate prospective real estate listings and buyers and a separate inner track or series of spaces for listing property to be sold. There is no provision for actually constructing a house or selecting a house to be constructed and thereafter furnishing the house with articles of manufacture which may be designated on cards actually advertising the products or services to be rendered in building and furnishing a home.
In United Kingdom patent 611,043 issued Oct. 25, 1948 a game board is disclosed for selecting and constructing homes. The game includes a game board having three series of concentric spaces or squares over which playing pieces must be moved as required by the roll of a dice or some other chance indicating mechanism. During movement around the outer squares the players are subject to various rewards or penalty moves depending upon the designation of the square. Further, players acquire money for constructing their selected home by a movement around the outer series of squares. Once sufficient money is obtained the players move to the intermediate series of spaces wherein sections of the home must be obtained to complete construction. The game further includes actual small housing sections which may be assembled in either a two or three dimensional configuration to simulate the home being constructed. Once the home is constructed the player then moves into the innermost series of spaces in which final certification of the home are provided for. There are no provisions, however, in the game for dealing with situations wherein specific portions of a house and its furnishings must be provided for to educate the player to be prepared to encounter these expenses as well as to handle mortgage and construction costs. There is also no provision for allowing actual consumer goods and services to be advertised in the course of the game so that play becomes more realistic and thereby a better teaching tool for understanding home construction and furnishing.
Some additional references include U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,156; French patent 2,462,178 of March 1981; U.S. design Pat. No. 302,181; U.S. design Pat. No. 150,295; U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,255 and U.S. design Pat. No. 179,964.